Cross Country Exploring: Part One- The Northern Abbey

Hey guys! I was feeling a bit bored one day and decided I should just take the car and go on an adventure! My journey takes me to a 106 year old abbey nestled in the mountains of northern Trinidad, the rolling hills of San Fernando and to finish the day, a seafront with a most beautiful view of sunsets. (Some pictures were taken with my D3400 and others with my Galaxy S6).

(Aerial view image taken from the abbey's Website)

So I took up my camera, got in the car and drove northwards to St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. There the northern mountain range can be seen in all its majesty, towering over the town and most of the northern part of the island. I was headed to the Mount St. Benedict Abbey. The church was founded by Brazilian monks in 1912 who fled their country and came to Trinidad in lieu of religious persecution. Ever since, the abbey has added to the allure and beauty of the mountain range.

Getting There

The road leading up the mountain to the church is steep and winding, but the drive is very relaxing. Beautiful flora and fauna line both sides and is a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of life down below in the nearby town. Up here the air feels fresh and crisp, almost purified!

A view of the mountain side while heading up to the abbey.

The main building itself stands verdantly and is the first thing the eyes fall upon in when entering the compound. I had arrived just in time to hear the ending of the prayer session that was being held. The religious banter from the inside added to the tranquil ambiance of the area.

View of the main building

The car park and some friends who accompanied me.

The View

Since this church is perched on a mountain, one would assume that the view is awesome. IT IS. There is a special lookout area which provides a spectacular view of the rest of the island all the way down to the south. The first time I visited, the fact that I could see that far and that much from there blew my mind!

The lookout area.

I could see my whole university campus from there as well as other significant landmarks that are literally hours away. Weather the visibility is good or not, the view is just as breathtaking. I remember going up for new years once and seeing all the fireworks of the country down below, it was so spectacular and surreal, I couldn't properly convey it to you even if I tried. Sadly I have no pictures or footage of this.

Just breathtaking!

A clearer view on a clear day

The Inside

The inside of the abbey looks much like any other cathedral, with its long hallways and columnous pews.

The pews and the altar.

To the side of the main building, there was another area that was blocked off. I took the below picture through the gratings of a gate, but the view was so serene I just wanted to open the gate and get over there. It looked so heavenly!

The sun and the sky paired with the trees and the lighting just makes this picture so brilliant!

I didn't spend a long time here, as I wanted to head to the southern part of the island to the city of San Fernando, where the ocean-view is wondrous and the city lights can take your breath away amongst its rolling hills. Since this post was getting a bit long, I decided to make another with that. Thank you for coming along! I hope you learn't and enjoyed as much as I did. Upvote and comment if you liked and look out for part 2 soon!

Me (left) and my friend (right), pausing for a selfie in the carpark!

CHEERS!